A tube expander may be a ram-driven machine typically used in the manufacture of heat exchanger components. The tube expander uses multiple tipped expander rods to form interference fits between tubes and a stack of fins by expanding the tubes into the fins. The finished assembly is often referred to as a slab or coil, and may also be referred to as a heat exchanger coil unit (or “coil unit”). The coil unit may have an initial configuration in which it is a loose assembly of tubes and fins, and a finished configuration in which the tubes are expanded and form interference fits between the tubes and fins. In a vertical tube expander, the coil unit, in its initial configuration that includes a loose assembly of tubes and fins, is placed under a collection of vertically oriented, fixed center, tipped expander rods. Upon actuation, the tipped expander rods are rammed into the open ends of the tubes in the assembly, and the tubes are expanded. The tube ends are flared, the expander rods are withdrawn, and the coil unit, now in its finished configuration, is removed and replaced with another loose tube-and-fin assembly the tubes of which are ready to be expanded.
In some cases, one or more sets of individual doors are provided with the vertical tube expander, which doors vary in height and are not connected to the vertical tube expander. Each door is used to secure the loaded, or installed, position of the coil unit(s) within the vertical tube expander. An operator may “square” a set of door mounting points, snug side constraints to the coil unit(s), and adjust the door hinges for a proper fit. However, after the coil unit(s) have been installed within the vertical tube expander, an operator must wait until the tubular expansion process within the coil unit(s) is completed and the coil units are in their finished configuration before removing the coil units and then using the door to secure the loaded, or installed, position of one or more additional coil units (in their initial, loose tube-and-fin configuration) within the vertical tube expander. Such a “load-then-wait” process increases the time it takes to manufacture several coil units. Further, if the door is not properly locked, the door may accidentally open during the tubular expansion process, that is, during the ramming of the tipped expander rods into the respective open ends of the tubes in the loose assembly and the subsequent expansion of the tubes. Additionally, for each coil unit having a different height, width, or depth, the vertical tube expander must be reconfigured to accept and contain the associated loose tube-and-fin assembly such that the tubes are precisely located, relative to the tipped expander rods. Typical reconfiguration procedures increase the time it takes to manufacture coil units having variances in height, width, or depth.
Therefore, what is needed is an apparatus, kit, system, or method that addresses one or more of the above-described issues, and/or one or more other issues.